The first map pack for Black Ops 2 is only a few weeks away before it graces us all with brand new, jaw dropping content. The first Black Ops 2 map pack called “Revolution” is the first time ever in the history of Call of Duty DLC that a brand new weapon will be added to the game.

Release Dates:

Xbox 360: 29th of January 2013PC & PS3: 1 Month later (likely the 28th of Feb or 7th of March)

Unlike how the content season worked for Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops 2 is adopting the classic and much easier to understand map pack system. There will be a total of 4 map packs for Black Ops 2 over the next 11 months each available for purchase separately or you can get them all for free when you purchase a Season Pass and save your self a little bit of money.

Revolution includes 4 brand new Multiplayer maps, a brand new Zombies map, a brand new Zombies Game Mode and a brand new SMG, the PeaceKeeper.

The first multiplayer map is called HYDRO, a large hydro electricity dam set Pakistan. The map design really focuses on bottlenecks and choke points but there is a twist… The level has a major spill way which will actually flood during the game! If your in the path of the raging water, you wont be for very long…

The second is GRIND which takes place in a skate park in the middle of Venice California. A map which is entirely comprised of skate ramps and curves, forget the hard edges of walls you are used to. Since taking cover from walls is no longer an option in this map is makes for some really interesting and brilliant combat encounters. This map is guaranteed to deliver fast and frenetic Call of Duty action.

Next up we have DOWNHILL which brings back the snow environments to Black Ops 2 that so many players have been missing! It is a medium-sized map based in the French Alps complete with snow, chair lifts, and a strategically placed lodge. The map feature long range line of sight areas, perfect for snipers.

MIRAGE is the last multiplayer map featured in Revolution, based in the Gobi Desert it utilises sand dunes to provide different levels of elevation and a sanctuary in the center as a natural choke point. The luxury building has been hit by a massive sand storm which has left large sand dunes in its wake. The dunes make for some really interesting and new combat scenarios because you can get to an elevated position so quickly.

Are you ready from some Zombies action? I know I am, the next map up is DIE RISE which is strangely pronounced like ‘Dye’ rather than ‘Dee’ as the Germans would say it. The map takes place in the far east in a series of crumbling sky scrapers and is the first ever zombies map which features a level of verticality in it meaning there are a number of different floors and heights to battle the zombie hoard from. Massive open areas coupled with narrow corridors make Die Rise an interesting maze like map with some very interesting sections which will have you questioning whether you are upside down or not!

A new game mode has also been added alongside Die Rise called TURNED, which allows players to play as the zombies! Yes thats right you can actually play as the zombies! How cool is that? You’ll be up against a lone human player which you must take down, upon killing them you’ll respawn as the human and take the role of zombie slayer.

Last but not least we have probably the most unique piece of content in this DLC, the PEACEKEEPER weapon. The weapon bridges the gap between SMG and Assault rifle making for an interesting hybrid weapon.

Revolution will be available for Xbox 360 players on the 29th of January 2013 for purchase at 1200 Microsoft Points.

If you are a season pass holder you will of course get all the content for free. Release dates for PC and PS3 will be about one month later, we predict either the 28th of February or the 7th of March. Prices on the PC and PS3 will be at the $14.99 mark and be purchasable through the PSN and Steam.

So to summarise all of the above, the following will be available in the first Black Ops 2 Map Pack ‘Revolution’:

Hydro

Downhill

Grind

Mirage

Zombies – Die Rise

Zombies Game Mode – Turned

Peacekeeper SMG

Revolution will undoubtedly be a fantastic addition to the game, the maps look fantastic and the new game modes are a massive surprise! Plus there is a brand new weapon, what more could you ask for? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Original Post: After Amazon.co.uk accidently uploaded the product page for the Black Ops 2 Revolution Map Pack, it entirely confirms the brand new DLC set for a January 29th release date for the Xbox 360.

The Amazon listing described the first map pack as the following: “Revolution is the first downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, containing four of the most exciting Multiplayer maps, a thrilling new Zombies map and for the first time ever, a new weapon -The Peacekeeper SMG.”

The main addition to the previous information, as well as high quality images is a short description of each map that is featured in the Map Pack.

Hydro–This large map allows you to use the dam and water to your advantage to block paths and stop enemies.

Downhill–A medium-sized map based in the French Alps complete with snow, chair lifts, and a strategically placed lodge.

Grind–Set within the locale of the Venice, California boardwalk, this small skate park map is sure to deliver fast and frenetic Call of Duty action.

Mirage–This Gobi Desert multiplayer map utilises sand dunes to provide different levels of elevation and a sanctuary in the centre as a natural chokepoint.

Zombies – Die Rise–The Zombie apocalypse has invaded China, turning down town into a dilapidated and dangerous MC Escher painting.

Peacekeeper SMG–This impressive sub-machine gun fills the open weapon slot in your load-out with power and accuracy.

What a lot of users will be extremely happy about in this particular piece of DLC is the first map Hydro which is described as a large map, something many users all over the internet have been craving. On top of that a brand new SMG weapon, the first time a gun DLC has even been seen in Call of Duty.

What’s also interesting to note is how NukeTown Zombies is not part of the Revolution Map Pack, likely meaning it won’t be part of any future ones either so if you want it, you’ll have to opt for purchasing the Season Pass.

Revolution will be available to Xbox 360 players on the 29th of January, Season Pass holders will be able to download it for free while everyone else will be able to purchase it separately. PC and PS3 will have access to the content about 1 month later, likely either the 26th or 28th of February.

Hackers have been a problem with a number of Call of Duty games for the last few years, whether they are boosting their own ranks, destroying yours or anything which ruins the game something has to be done about it.

Activision has always tried to keep on top of hackers and boosters but it is a never ending battle, if you check out the high score tables currently you’ll notice how they are polluted with completely unreal statistics from people who enjoy ruining the game for others.

Activision and Treyarch have released an official statement however which indicates they are on top of things and a large wave of PERMANENT Bans or Perma-Bans if you prefer are on their way…

“We are trying to get the word out, accounts that use hacks will be banned. These bans are not like boosting bans, where the player is reset and allowed back in a few days later. Any ban imposed fro hacking or modding the console, account, or the player stats will result in that console being black-listed from the server, and any accounts used in the exploit being reset and banned. “

”Of course we can see all accounts that are 11 and 12 prestige. Since there is no way to achieve those levels without cheating, those players are already all (100% of them) known and are slated to be removed from the game. “

“Actions are being taken to address the underlying exploit as well. However, since all updates must be approved by the console manufacturers, and some exploits make use of security holes outside of the game entirely, addressing these issues can take some time. The best method for resolving this is simply to remove the cheaters. “

“There will be a large “clean-up” of leaderboards and cheater accounts very soon.”

The main message behind the statement is that if you notice someone cheating, boosting or hacking then you should definitely report them using the in-game tool. You may not think it will do any good but Activision has assured us that Treyarch is constantly checking the report tool statistics and acting upon those reports.

Although it may not seem as if any action is being taken, behind the scenes hackers and boosters are getting banned constantly.

Below are the official Treyarch guidelines for banning and all infractions within Black Ops 2:

Definitions

Temporary bans can range from 48 hours to 2 weeks, depending on the severity of the infraction. Permanent bans are lasting and final.

A minor offense is one in which no quantifiable damage has been done to another user or the game community at large. An extreme offense is one in which a player has caused detriment to other users or has organized large groups of users to commit additional offenses.

Modding/Hacking

Any user who runs a modified version of game code or uses a modified game profile is subject to penalty.

First offense: User will be permanently banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, and will be blocked permanently from appearing in leaderboards.

Console users who modify their hardware or profile data will also be reported to console manufacturers. PC users on Steam will be reported to the Steam enforcement team.

Pirated Content

Any user who illegally acquires Call of Duty: Black Ops II content is subject to penalty.

First offense: User will be permanently banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, and will be blocked permanently from appearing in leaderboards.

Console users in possession of illegally acquired content will also be reported to console manufacturers. PC users on Steam will be reported to the Steam enforcement team.

Unsupported Peripheral Devices & Applications

Any user who utilizes an unsupported external hardware device or application to interact with the game is subject to penalty. Unsupported peripheral devices and applications include but are not limited to modded controllers, IP flooders and lag switches.

Minor offense: User will be temporarily banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset and will have their leaderboard entries deleted.

Extreme or repeat offenses: User will be permanently banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, and will be blocked permanently from appearing in leaderboards.

Boosting

Any user who colludes with another user to exploit the game for the purpose of gaining XP, prestige, game score, weapon level, or in-game unlock is subject to penalty.

First offense: User will be temporarily banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, and will have their leaderboard entries deleted.

Second offense: User will be temporarily banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, will have online split-screen privileges revoked, and will have their leaderboard entries deleted.

Extreme or multiple repeat offenses: User will be permanently banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, and will be blocked permanently from appearing in leaderboards.

Glitching

Any user who abuses an exploit in game code or other established rule of play is subject to penalty. An example includes but is not limited to using a hole in the map geo to intentionally go outside of the map boundary.

First offense: User will be temporarily banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, and will have their leaderboard entries deleted.

Second offense: User will be temporarily banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, will have online split-screen privileges revoked, and will have their leaderboard entries deleted.

Extreme or multiple repeat offenses: User will be permanently banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, and will be blocked permanently from appearing in leaderboards.

Offensive Behaviour

Any user who is found to use aggressive, offensive, derogatory or racially charged language is subject to penalty.

First offense: User will be temporarily banned from playing the game online.

Second offense: User will be temporarily banned from playing the game online and will have voice chat privileges in the game revoked.

Extreme or repeat offenses: User will be permanently banned from playing the game online, will have their stats & emblems reset, and will be blocked permanently from appearing in leaderboards.

Offensive Emblems

Any user who creates an emblem with sexually gratuitous images, racially offensive material or foul language is subject to penalty.

Minor offense: User will be temporarily banned from using the Emblem Editor, and all emblems will be reset to default.

Extreme or repeat offenses: User will be permanently banned from using the Emblem Editor, and all emblems will be reset to default.

Offensive Live Streams or Unauthorized Live Stream Content

Any user who is found to have offensive or unauthorized content in their live stream is subject to penalty. Offensive content includes but is not limited to foul language, racially charged language, and nudity. Unauthorized content includes but is not limited to unlicensed music, TV shows, movies and brand logos.

Minor offense: User will be temporarily banned from using live streaming and may have camera streaming privileges in the game revoked.

Extreme or repeat offenses: User will be permanently banned from using live streaming.

Extreme offenders will also be reported to the live streaming service provider and may have their account revoked by that service provider.

It’s our first whiff of Black Ops 2 DLC and it looks better than ever. According to a recently spotted Black Ops 2 promotional poster the first map pack for the game will be hitting Xbox 360 customers on the 29th of January along with 6 new pieces of original content…

The images were originally posted in the Call of Duty official forums before being removed by the moderators, adding to the validity that this is genuine content we are going to see. Another valid point for the poster is the Tuesday release date which is something extremely common for Call of Duty DLC release dates.

“Revolution is the first downloadable content pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, containing four of the most exciting Multiplayer maps, a thrilling new Zombies map and for the first time ever, a new weapon -The Peacekeeper SMG.”

The maps included in the Revolution Map Pack are:

Hydro–This large map allows you to use the dam and water to your advantage to block paths and stop enemies.

Downhill–A medium-sized map based in the French Alps complete with snow, chair lifts, and a strategically placed lodge.

Grind–Set within the locale of the Venice, California boardwalk, this small skate park map is sure to deliver fast and frenetic Call of Duty action.

Mirage–This Gobi Desert multiplayer map utilises sand dunes to provide different levels of elevation and a sanctuary in the centre as a natural chokepoint.

Zombies – Die Rise–The Zombie apocalypse has invaded China, turning down town into a dilapidated and dangerous MC Escher painting.

Peacekeeper SMG–This impressive sub-machine gun fills the open weapon slot in your load-out with power and accuracy.

If you have opted to purchase a season pass then you’ll get all this content absolutely free when it is available while those who have not will likely have to shell out around $15 for the map pack. According to the poster Xbox 360 players will get the content on the 29th of January which means (due to the Microsoft Activision agreement) that it will be available for PS3 and PC about 1 month later.

What’s great to see in the post above is the addition of a brand new weapon as DLC, during the MW3 DLC season many users were requesting additional weapons and gun packs but IW developers told us it was not possible with their current system. It seems however Treyarch have adopted a much more versatile system in Black Ops 2 allowing for additional weapons to be added to the game! Although the idea of another SMG will grind a few peoples gears it is still a welcome asset. What kind of guns would you like to see in Black Ops 2? Let us know in the comments.

Black Ops 2 is currently on sale from various retailers in the US for the super low price of just $39.99! Now a game sale doesn’t sound that uncommon these days but for Call of Duty games, it is fair to say that it is a very rare thing indeed. The usual price for Black Ops 2 is around the $59.99 so it is a substantial price reduction.

The price reductions are applied across all Black Ops 2 games for all platforms (this includes the Wii U and PlayStation Vita). If you haven’t got Black Ops 2 already or you know a friend who hasn’t then now is a brilliant time to pick one up because as I said before, Call of Duty sales are rare!